7/31/1939 Kiel Harbor 1st day at sea
After arriving on the night of July 10 Ship 35 pulled into dock Nr. 31. For the next 2 weeks everything from toilet paper to mines were loaded on July 29 Ship 35 moved to the Kiel Holtenau lock home to Bordfliegerstaffel 5/196 and took aboard 5 Arado Ar 196 A-1 and her Luftwaffe detachment under the command of Major Adolf Richter (EK II). That night she returned to Dock Nr.31. During this time GAdm Reader boarded and inspected the ship and handed FKpt Hartmann the final copy of Ship 35’s orders.
Today at midnight “Ship 35” weighed anchor and quietly made her way out Kiel. The Kriegsmarine’s first merchant raider was now loose on the high seas. Her disguise is of a Norwegian freighter the KELLOG 8,822 grt of the Oslo Shipping Co. Ltd. Oslo, Norway. Hartmann is ordered to make for Jan Mayern and enter the Atlantic via the Denmark Strait.
